In the new PC game Great Lakes Simulator, players can sail the full length of Lake Huron and Lake Superior on a virtual freighter for an immersive experience. Read the full story by the Port Huron Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-pc
Conservation action for Debra Shore started with the driveway at her suburban Chicago home.
It was asphalt, and she wanted to replace it with gravel to absorb the rain and keep pollutants out of the stormwater drains. But her town administration said no to the permit, though it eventually yielded.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/epa-great-lakes-administrator-benton-harbor-infrastructure-cleanup/
Behavior-altering chemicals produced by sea lamprey may decrease the invaders’ populations in the Great Lakes.
The post Chemical sex attraction may curb invasive sea lamprey, new study says first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/11/17/chemical-sex-attraction-may-curb-invasive-sea-lamprey-new-study-says/
2021 marked the 30th anniversary of the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Adopt-a-Beach program. This year alone, volunteers hosted beach cleanups on all 5 Great Lakes and in all 8 states, with 7,883 volunteers gathering 25,280 pounds of litter at 719 beach cleanups.
This year’s volunteers formed the latest wave in a movement that started in 1991. For 30 years, thousands of volunteers from all over the Great Lakes and from all walks of life have signed up and shown up for beach cleanups. They’re part of an impactful movement to ensure that one of the world’s largest surface freshwater systems is cleaner, safer, and protected.
Adopt-a-Beach volunteers don’t merely pick up thousands of pounds of litter from Great Lakes beaches and go home; they also collect important data. At each cleanup event, volunteers painstakingly tally each item they clean up, and the information is then entered into our online database that was developed in 2003. This huge data set – the largest of its kind in the Great Lakes region – provides us with invaluable information about the litter on our beaches and in the Great Lakes.
The biggest finding is that roughly 85% of the litter picked up during Adopt-a-Beach cleanups is made up fully or partially of plastic.
Adopt-a-Beach volunteers are on the front lines of keeping plastic out of our lakes. Their data collection efforts have raised the alarm about Great Lakes plastic pollution.
The data has also been critical to raising awareness about microplastics in the Great Lakes as the plastic on our beaches. Plastic, if not cleaned up, breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces that pollute our drinking water and harm wildlife.
Data from Adopt-a-Beach events has helped to narrow our attention on where we can best work together to reduce the use of plastic before it even reaches our beaches. For instance, food-related waste – from takeout containers to bottle caps – is among the top items found on Great Lakes beaches.
Researchers, elected officials, government agencies, and nonprofit partners have used Adopt-a-Beach data to make the case for private and public efforts, such as programs aimed at reducing single-use plastic items, to keep plastic pollution out of the lakes.
It is heartwarming and hope-inducing to join volunteers year after year, standing shoulder to shoulder with friends, neighbors, and people they may have just met, putting their own hands to work cleaning hundreds of miles of shoreline of the plastic and other debris that pollutes our water. And most importantly, we all learn from each other why clean water and time outdoors are so important to our families, friends, and communities.
~ Joel Brammeier, President & CEO, Alliance for the Great Lakes
Thank you to all of our team leaders, volunteers, and partners who have given their time and resources over the past 30 years. We couldn’t accomplish all that we’ve done without your efforts!
The post Over 200,000 Volunteers and 8,282,807 Pieces of Litter appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2021/11/over-200000-volunteers-and-8282807-pieces-of-litter/
The Alliance for the Great Lakes Board of Directors held their annual meeting November 5-6 in Chicago. At the meeting, the board elected a new chair and four new directors and said farewell to three term-limited directors. Additionally, the board elected two new officers and renewed the terms of several current directors.
Jo-Elle Mogerman was elected as the Alliance’s new board chair. Mogerman is Director of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park in St. Louis, Missouri. She returned to the board as a director in 2018 and previously served on the Executive Committee. Mogerman replaces previous chair Sue Conatser, who served in the role for three years and has previously served as board treasurer.
“I’m incredibly grateful for Sue’s service, especially over the past year and a half,” said Alliance President & CEO Joel Brammeier. “Sue’s thoughtful guidance and leadership helped the Alliance successfully navigate the challenges of a global pandemic and create a new strategic plan. Her sound advice and steady hand have ensured that the organization is stronger than ever.”
In addition, the board elected two new officers. Bill Henry was elected Secretary, replacing David Schmahl, and Laura Payne was elected Vice Chair – Development, replacing Stephen Brewster, who is rotating off the board due to term limits. The Alliance deeply appreciates David and Stephen’s long service as board officers.
The Alliance’s board welcomed four new directors to serve a three-year term.
Nicole Chavas, Chicago, Illinois is President and COO of Greenprint Partners, a certified WBE green infrastructure consulting and project development firm that works at the intersection of climate resiliency and equity. Greenprint designs and implements equitable, multi-benefit green infrastructure projects and programs, helping clients nationwide maximize the use of green infrastructure to manage stormwater while creating beneficial new community amenities. A co-founder of the firm, Nicole currently leads Greenprint strategy, business development and operations. Prior to founding Greenprint, Nicole spent 10 years working at large institutional investment firms evaluating the operational infrastructure of investment managers across all asset classes, including public equities, fixed income, hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, and real assets. She also spent significant time researching the opportunity to incorporate impact into a traditional investment portfolio on behalf of non-profit institutional investors. Nicole earned her BBA and Masters of Accountancy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Daniel Guzman King, Oneida, Wisconsin is serving his 2nd term as a Councilman of the Oneida Nation. Daniel serves as a member of the Legislative Operating Committee, responsible for developing and amending new laws, codes and policy for the Oneida Nation. In 2019, Daniel was selected to serve on the Great Lakes Area Tribal Health Board, which is a regional board advocating for health care system improvements on behalf of tribal communities in the Midwest. In 2021, he was also selected to serve on EPA’s Small Communities Advisory Committee.
Daniel graduated from Seymour High School in 2001. In 2004, he earned his Associates Degree in Hotel/Hospitality Management from Milwaukee Area Technical College. In 2015, Daniel earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Cardinal Stritch University. Daniel is a graduate of the Latino Nonprofit Leadership Program and also the Philanthropy Incubator Project – Legacy Building in Communities of Color.
Daniel stood on the front lines at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation to fight for tribal land and water rights that would impact all of Indian Country and understands the importance of exercising the Oneida Nation’s sovereignty.
Councilman Guzman King is of the Turtle Clan. His loving family includes his grandparents, the late Peter “Buzzy” and Martha (Skenandore) King; his mother, Joyce King; brother, Lorenzo Guzman; aunties, Louise Cornelius, Margaret King, Susan Reiter and Kathy King; his late uncle, Peter King Jr.
Daniel Guzman King shared the following guiding words with the board: “When you sit and you counsel for the welfare of the people, think not of yourself, nor of your family, nor even your generation.” ~ The Peacemaker
Katherine Jones, Tonawanda, New York is the Director of Education and Conservation at the Aquarium of Niagara. She started her time there as a part-time educator, however her knowledge, experience, and commitment to informal education allowed her to move up through the ranks over the last five years. During this time, she has spearheaded the creation of new STEM-based school programming, oversaw the development of day camps and homeschool curriculum, worked to expand a strong educational outreach presence, and increase the interpretive training and skill sets of the Education team.
Prior to her work at the Aquarium of Niagara, Katherine worked for seven years at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, two years in Maine with National Audubon Society’s Project Puffin, and several years as an interpretive naturalist for Indiana State Parks. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology at the University of Guelph and is certified through the National Association of Interpretation as a Certified Heritage Interpreter. She spends her free time exploring the abundant parks of WNY with her husband and two children.
Christopher Winters, Milwaukee, Wisconsin is the staff photographer at Discovery World Science and Technology Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a freelance photojournalist, and maritime historian. Smitten at the age of nine with the lore of lakeboats and the legend of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Chris has dedicated his professional life to chronicling Great Lakes maritime history and culture. His award-winning books “Centennial,” documenting life aboard the century-old lake steamer St. Mary’s Challenger, “The Legend Lives On,” a definitive commemoration of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and “Schooner Days,” the official history of Wisconsin’s flagship the S/V Denis Sullivan were published in 2008, 2015, and 2017 respectively. “Centennial” received the 2010 Steamship Historical Society of America’s C. Bradford Mitchell Award, and “Schooner Days” received the 2018 Gold “IPPY” Award for regional non-fiction. Chris has served as a four-term board member of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, a trustee of the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society, and was recipient of the 2017 Great Lakes Historian of the Year award from the Marine Historical Society of Detroit. He enjoys sharing his love of the Great Lakes with daughters, Ryerson and Sullivan, and his long-suffering former flatlander wife Jessica.
The board renewed three current directors Tom Langmyer, Jo-Elle Mogerman, and
Vanessa Tey Iosue to serve their second three-year term. The board also said farewell to three term-limited directors after six years of service, Stephen Brewster, Kathryn Bryk Friedman, and Laura Rubin.
“Thank you to all of our board members – past and present – for their dedication and leadership,” said Brammeier. “Our work would not be possible without their time and expertise. They are integral to the Alliance’s successes in protecting and restoring this resource we all cherish. And we are grateful for their passion and commitment.”
For a full listing of Alliance for the Great Lakes directors and officers, visit our Board of Directors page.
The post New Board Chair, Four New Directors Welcomed to Alliance for the Great Lakes Board appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2021/11/new-board-chair-four-new-directors-welcomed-to-alliance-for-the-great-lakes-board/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/humans-ncei-douglas-rao
Increased attention to parks as a result of the pandemic is demonstrated by Windsor's recent $1 million (USD $801,705) investment in 14 parks.
The post Windsor invests in parks lighting first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/11/16/windsor-invests-in-parks-lighting/
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/Haz_Simplification_GRB
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today applauded Congress and the Biden Administration for enacting the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bipartisan infrastructure legislation includes significant investments in key Great Lakes priorities, including $1 billion in funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $55 billion for drinking water and wastewater projects, $10 billion for action on emerging contaminants such as PFAS, $2.25 billion for port infrastructure development grants, and $1.9 billion for Army Corps of Engineers aquatic restoration projects.
“The Great Lakes Commission is grateful to our region’s bipartisan congressional delegation and President Biden for their work on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said GLC Chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “This legislation represents historic investment in longstanding GLC priorities, including $1 billion for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Since it was launched in 2010, the GLRI has funded more than 5,000 projects across the Great Lakes. These projects have cleaned up toxic contamination, restored wetlands, prevented the spread of aquatic invasive species and more. They also produce a substantial return on investment, with every dollar spent generating an estimated $3.35 in additional economic activity.”
In June, the GLC led a coalition of regional agencies, legislators, mayors, and business and environmental groups in urging Congressional leaders to include key Great Lakes priorities in the legislation. The GLC will continue to advocate for Great Lakes priorities in upcoming legislation, including investments in climate resiliency and Great Lakes icebreaking capacity.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/infrastructure-111521
CONTACT:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
Ann Arbor, Mich. (November 15, 2021)—President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill today, paving the way for historic investments in drinking water and sewage treatment infrastructure, Great Lakes restoration, and core clean water priorities. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is heralding the bill as a tremendous victory for people and communities.
“The bipartisan infrastructure bill is a victory for the Great Lakes and the millions of people who depend on them for their drinking water, health, jobs, and quality of life,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “This bill is a big step forward in addressing the water infrastructure crisis threatening our communities and will provide much-needed help to the people who have been most impacted by pollution. We thank President Joe Biden and members of Congress for working together to make infrastructure and clean water a national priority.”
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will invest $1.2 trillion in the nation’s infrastructure, including $50 billion for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. Investing in water infrastructure protects public health and improves climate resiliency of our communities, reducing maintenance and operational costs, and creating good-paying local jobs. The act also contains $1 billion to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, reduce farm and city runoff pollution, and confront invasive species through the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
The Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, according to the EPA, need more than $188 billion over 20 years to update their drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. (This chart contains the water infrastructure needs of each state.)
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.
###
The post Biden Signs Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, Boon for Great Lakes, Clean Water appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/biden-signs-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-boon-for-great-lakes-clean-water/
Online event will feature poet Moheb Soliman
Wisconsin’s Sea Grant’s “Lake Talks,” a series of informal presentations on science and humanities topics related to the Great Lakes, continues Thursday, Dec. 9, from 7-8 p.m. The evening’s event is titled “Place, identity and the Great Lakes region: A conversation with poet Moheb Soliman.”
The virtual event will be held on Zoom. It is open to all, though registration is required. (Register for this event now.) The hour will include time for audience questions.
Poet Moheb Soliman (photo: Melissa Lukenbaugh)
Soliman is an interdisciplinary poet from Egypt and the Midwest who has presented his work in the U.S. and Canada with support from numerous foundations and institutions. His first book of poems, HOMES (Coffee House Press, 2021), alludes to an acronym used to remember the names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. Yet the title has other meanings as well, as Soliman’s writing offers an intimate perspective on an immigrant experience as he drives his Corolla past exquisite vistas and abandoned mines, through tourist towns and Midwestern suburbs, seeking to inhabit an entire region as home.
He will be featured in a conversation-style event with Senior Special Librarian Anne Moser of the Wisconsin Water Library. Moser is also the education coordinator for Wisconsin Sea Grant. Their discussion will be interspersed with Soliman reading from his work.
The cover of HOMES by Moheb Soliman (Coffee House Press, 2021)
Reviewing HOMES for EcoLit Books, Lillie Gardner praised the book as “stunning” and noted that “Soliman reflects on heavy topics with easy-going wit and candor.” She wrote, “An engaging meditation on our world and our place in it, HOMES takes the idea of borders as neat dividing lines and cracks it open, redefining place as a space that is shared and changeable.” To learn more about Moheb Soliman, visit his website at www.mohebsoliman.info.
For Lake Talks event and registration information, visit the Sea Grant website, or follow Wisconsin Sea Grant on Facebook or Twitter. You can register for Moheb Soliman’s talk now.
For questions about the Lake Talks series, contact Wisconsin Sea Grant science communicator Jennifer Smith.
The post Fall “Lake Talks” conclude with a discussion of place and identity in the Great Lakes first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/fall-lake-talks-conclude-with-a-discussion-of-place-and-identity-in-the-great-lakes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fall-lake-talks-conclude-with-a-discussion-of-place-and-identity-in-the-great-lakes
The sea lamprey, an incredibly destructive invasive species, is now largely under control thanks to an international treaty, a specialized pesticide and millions of dollars from the U.S. and Canada. But Canada hasn’t been paying its full share for over a decade. Read and hear the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-lamprey
Premiering 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30 on PBS Wisconsin, Shipwrecks! explores the rich history of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes shipwrecks and takes viewers below the surface to an underwater museum of marvel. Read the full story by PBS Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-shipwrecks
Authorities confirmed that a small craft operated by a Canadian oil pipeline company contractor crashed into the Mackinac Bridge after nightfall this month. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-enbridge
Bells tolled Sunday at Mariner’s Church of Detroit for the 30,000 lives lost at sea, in shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, and military personnel who have sacrificed their lives. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-edmund-fitzgerald
After years of planning and a delay due to the pandemic, local students in Racine, Wisconsin were finally able to go to North Beach this week to learn how to protect the fragile coast of Lake Michigan. Read the full story by The Journal Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-racine
The Army Corps and the city of Chicago, Illinois are advancing a plan to expand a so-called confined disposal facility, which is next to Calumet Park on the Southeast Side. That would delay a potential conversion to parkland for at least another two decades. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-calumet
Frenchtown Township Resort Authority is seeking a key $4.5 million federal grant from Michigan’s Monroe County to erect a seawall to protect homes in Stony Point Peninsula and Dewey’s Subdivision from Lake Erie’s high water. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-seawall
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters toured flood walls along the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan Friday, as he highlighted legislation included in the recently passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that would help communities affected by coastal erosion. Read the full story by the Holland Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-infrastructure
A new light icebreaker will ply the waters of the Great Lakes once it is inspected and design work to prepare its conversion is carried out, says the Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. Read the full story by The Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-icebreaker
Cleveland, Ohio City Councilmen Kevin Bishop, Brian Kazy and Anthony Brancatelli have introduced legislation that will prohibit the outdoor release of large numbers of balloons. Read the full story by The Cleveland Scene.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-cleveland
To mitigate the impact of shoreline erosion, New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Coastal Processes and Hazards Specialist Roy L. Widrig is inviting waterfront property owners to participate in online workshops on Dec. 9. Read the full story by The Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-erie-workshops
Watching how fish move, how they use the water to their advantage has made me a better diver. Underwater, I strive to be as trim as a walleye and as effortless as a sturgeon. And while my cameraman husband hunts for photo ops with the stealth of a muskie, I can usually be found frolicking in the shallows like a carefree sunfish.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/speak-fish-teamwork-swimming-lessons/
Note: This blog is part of a periodic series of updates from Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Government Relations, with his view on Great Lakes policy from Washington, DC.
Increasing funding for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure was a key item on our list of Great Lakes legislative priorities for the Biden administration and Congress this year. After months of negotiations, Congress delivered with a vote on November 5 to approve the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 – a $1.2 trillion funding package. The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature.
The bipartisan bill sets the stage for sorely needed new investments in water infrastructure. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the Great Lakes states will need approximately $188 billion in additional water infrastructure investment over the next twenty years. And communities around the lakes continue to struggle with contamination from aging lead service lines. Benton Harbor, Michigan, is just the latest Great Lakes community experiencing a significant water emergency caused by lead in their drinking water from the lead pipes bringing drinking water into homes.
Fortunately, the infrastructure bill makes a solid down payment on our water infrastructure needs, including the long-overdue replacement of lead service lines. Although not perfect, the bill includes an additional $62.2 billion in supplemental funding for nationwide investments in water infrastructure over the next five years, including:
This is a significant bump in funding for programs used by communities to pay for repairs and upgrades to replace lead service lines, upgrade water pipes and treatment plants, and other water and sewer needs.
An additional $1 billion for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is also included in the bill. These funds will support on-the-ground projects around the lakes to clean up toxic pollutants, restore habitat, reduce pollution from nutrient runoff, and combat invasive species.
Congress listened to advocates from around the Great Lakes region who wrote letters and called their representatives in Washington, DC, and spoke out about the critical need for funding to fix our region’s antiquated water infrastructure. And we applaud the bipartisan efforts in Congress that led to the passage of this bill, which restores and protects our Great Lakes and provides significant environmental, human health, and economic benefits for our citizens.
The post Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act To Become Law appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2021/11/infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-to-become-law/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202110
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/metop-spacecraft-set-retire
A recent study revealed unsafe working conditions in some Michigan nail salons, the consequence of working with hazardous chemicals and not knowing how to handle them properly.
The post Nail salon working hazards exposed first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/11/15/nail-salon-working-hazards-exposed/
Cohen will be at Howe Memorial Library in Breckinridge, Michigan, on Nov. 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. presenting “Making Teas, Tinctures and Oils at Home.”
The post New book preserves relationship with plants through at-home herbalism first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/11/15/new-book-preserves-relationship-with-plants-through-at-home-herbalism/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261C4474A54.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261C447C114WI.GRBSPSGRB.e00b354d9f3ab8b5ee91dd5d3d965141
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261C446B198.WinterWeatherAdvisory.1261C447FDA0WI.GRBWSWGRB.b42b21ac31f496a45a2fc8763ee6412b
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261C4468E0C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261C4471340WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261C445C990.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261C4469E10WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261C445C030.WinterWeatherAdvisory.1261C447FDA0WI.GRBWSWGRB.b42b21ac31f496a45a2fc8763ee6412b
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261C4391790.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261C4399044WI.GRBSPSGRB.27abfef4bbb8fa6594b2d1a0d35fa3eb
By Jill Zarestky, Colorado State University, The Conversation
is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
Modern society benefits when people understand science concepts. This knowledge helps explain how cryptocurrency works, why climate change is happening or how the coronavirus is transmitted from person to person.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/unexpected-places-adults-learn-science/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261C43771B0.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261C438BB60WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
THIS WEEK: U.S. Passes Over $1 Trillion Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act + Benton Harbor Community Water Council Persistence Results in Actions + Ontario government provides $2.5 million for community-based Great Lakes initiatives + Five Things You Can Do to Protect the Great Lakes + Funding for Fish and Wildlife Restoration Available + Update on Asphalt Plant Near Flint, Michigan
Late Friday night, November 5th, the U.S. House passed the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, which awaits President Biden’s signature. The bill provides investments in our nation’s drinking water, wastewater, stormwater infrastructure, and includes grants to environmental justice and disadvantaged communities. Freshwater Future staff have been meeting with Congressional members to stress the importance of fully funding lead service line replacement and water access programs to ensure no parent worries if the water they are providing their children is tainted with lead and everyone has access to clean, safe, and affordable water in their homes. Learn more about what the Bi-partisan Infrastructure Bill and Build Back Better Act mean for water funding.
For over three years Freshwater Future has worked closely with the Benton Harbor Community Water Council (BHCWC) of Benton Harbor, Michigan to protect its residents from high levels of lead found in the city’s drinking water. Because no amount of lead is safe, residents have needed alternative water, filters and educational information.
Recently Governor Whitmer announced an all-hands-on-deck approach directing all of the state’s resources to Benton Harbor’s water crisis. This action comes after years of struggle by Benton Harbor residents to be heard outside of their community in order to secure the resources needed to safeguard public health in the city from lead. Benton Harbor’s story is another lesson and opportunity for decision makers to listen to residents’ priorities and concerns. Click here to learn more
Ontario approved $2.5 funding for 19 projects to reduce contaminants and nutrients that enter the Great Lakes and lead to issues such as harmful algal blooms (HABs). A couple of projects funded include the Ausable Bayfield, Conservation Authority to provide soil management and crop production support to farmers and support to the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association to develop a Soil Health Mobile Technology Suite to demonstrate the impacts of soil compaction on soil health. These projects are part of the Canada-Ontario Great Lakes Agreement that Freshwater Future Canada and our partners helped to establish.
Small actions can make a big difference! At Freshwater Future, we help thousands of communities around the Great Lakes protect their drinking water and local waters. Individual actions are powerful, too! Here are five little things with big impact that you can do to help keep our lakes healthy and clean.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is accepting project proposals to protect, restore and enhance Great Lakes fish and wildlife habitat that fulfill one or more of the six goals of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. Click here to learn more.
A virtual town hall is scheduled for Flint Community residents to discuss Ajax Pavement, environmental justice, and what’s to come with the proposed pavement factory on Monday, November 15 from 11 am – 12 pm.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is expected to announce the permit decision for the facility on the same day. You can register for the town hall here.
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/freshwater-weekly/freshwater-future-weekly-november-12-2021/
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — State officials announced a pilot program Wednesday aimed at helping eligible residents of a Michigan city where there’s been a lead crisis pay water and wastewater bills.
The federally-funded program is designed to help households that have had water disconnected or are facing disconnection pay to have it restored.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-program-benton-harbor-residents-bills/
The latest public works package, which totals $1.2 trillion in spending, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives late last week, which includes $1 billion in federal funding for Great Lakes restoration efforts. Read the full story by the Port Clinton News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-infastructure-bill
The 962-square-mile Shipwreck Coast sanctuary is the country’s fifteenth and Lake Michigan’s first. The sanctuary has 36 known shipwrecks (21 of them are listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and up to 59 more are suspected. Diving, snorkeling and paddling a boat are the easiest ways to explore the sanctuary. Read the full story by the Smithsonian Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-national-marine-sanctuary
Lake effect snow is notoriously tricky to forecast but Paul Pastelok, a senior meteorologist with Accuweather, predicts a normal to slightly above normal lake effect season for Upstate New York. Read the full story by The Post-Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-lake-effect-snow
Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor and their tenant, bulk cargo handler Metro Ports, are trying to reduce the environmental impact of a port famous for creating a huge portion of the nation’s steel. The port is a member of Green Marine, a multi-national organization started in 2007 in the Great Lakes region that encourages ports, their on-site tenants and ships to improve their sustainability through a voluntary certification program. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-burns-harbor
In the U.S., recreational anglers have been mining Lake Erie for “yellow gold” walleye for decades, and the current trend of skyrocketing fish populations has only helped to firm up the economic benefits that support thousands of households around the lake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-walleye
Lake temperatures have gradually been getting warmer for the last few decades. As Lake Michigan is currently 5 degrees warmer than average in areas, there is possible implications for ice cover, evaporation and lake-effect snow going into the winter. Read the full story by the Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-warm-lakes
New York Sea Grant is organizing an online workshop for Lake Ontario waterfront property owners to highlight erosion mitigation measures. The Dec. 7 workshop will focus on the western Lake Ontario shoreline areas of Niagara and Orleans counties. Read the full story by the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-shoreline-erosion
In areas where floods were once rare, now some neighborhoods are flooding repeatedly. Stormwater sewers are being overwhelmed by more intense storms. To find a solution, researchers at the University of Michigan are helping wastewater managers to use internet connected sensors to better manage sewers. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-flooding-app
Parks Canada and Windsor are exploring the possibilities of turning some of the city’s most ecologically sensitive areas into a new national urban park. The National Urban Park project was announced last summer and has a budget of $130 million ($105 million USD) drawn from $2.3 billion ( $1.86 billion USD) in funding to help Canada meet its goal of preserving 25% off the country’s waterways and coasts by 2025. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-parks-canada
Port Huron, Michigan is taking steps to stabilize parts of the Black River Canal’s eroding shoreline but officials said it is too soon to know what a long-term fix will look like, much like the rest of the city’s miles of aging seawall. Read the full story by the Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-port-huron
By Ed White, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — A judge on Wednesday approved a $626 million deal to settle lawsuits filed by Flint residents who found their tap water contaminated by lead following disastrous decisions to switch the city’s water source and a failure to swiftly acknowledge the problem.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-judge-million-settlement-flint-water-litigation/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/flooding-sewers-app-research/
